Cruise NL, is pleased to see overall growth in the province’s cruise industry.
More than 70,000 visitors made it to the shores of this province in 2018 derived from 87 port calls to the 21 participating ports. There was 23 cruise operators with 30 ships who made those visits.
“Newfoundland and Labrador has a lot to offer in terms of port variety and diverse visitor experiences,” Nora Fever, chair of Cruise NL said in a news release Tuesday.
“We are pleased that over 20 ports around the province had cruise ship visits in 2018 and there are visits booked at over 20 ports for the 2019 season,” she added.
In total, there were 70,541 visitors comprised of 47,565 passengers and 22,815 crew.
This was a decrease from the 2017 cruise ship season stemming from a number of cancellations and itinerary changes. However, it was an increase of 29 per cent from the 2016 totals and generated an estimated $7.2 million to the economy.
Ports that see cruise ship activity across Newfoundland and Labrador includes: Torngat Mountains National Park, Hebron, Nain, Red Bay, Goose Bay, St. Anthony, L’Anse aux Meadows, Woody Point, Corner Brook, Terra Nova National Park and St. John’s
Ferryland will be added to the mix in 2019 as a cruise ship will make a scheduled call for the first time ever next year.
A number of cruise lines that have previously made calls to the province are returning again during the upcoming season including AIDA Cruises, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises.
“Because of our geographic location, Newfoundland and Labrador ports are included on various types of cruises including Transatlantic voyages and Canada New England itineraries,” Fever said.
“In addition to the large ships we are pleased to have companies like Adventure Canada, One Ocean Expeditions and Silversea continuing to deliver expedition and niche cruises in the region. And we are delighted to see that companies like Scenic Cruises and MSC Cruises will introduce new cruise programs featuring calls to the province in 2019,” she added.
Cruise NL is suggesting that more than 95,000 passengers and nearly 40,000 crew will visit the province in 2019.